Brassiere



Feb. 26, 1963 A. M. STAPLETON 3,0

BRASSIERE Fild June 1, 1961 INVENIOR ANNA M STAPLE TON Muc/(/ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,078,852 BRAS1ERE Anna M. Stapleton, 2353 SW. 6th St., Miami, Fla. Filed June 1, 1961, Ser. No. 114,251 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-513) This invention relates to wearing apparel of the kind which is worn concealed beneath the clothing and which is designed to improve the appearance and well-being of the wearer as well as perform a supporting or other utilitarian function.

The invention relates particularly to lingerie or undergarments generally referred to as brassieres and worn by women for performing supporting and form maintenance functions as well as for enhancing the appearance.

Certain garments have been employed for assisting in maintaining the shape or contour of the adult female as well as for providing support for the breasts, and some of such articles have been used with and others without pockets or compartments for the holding of articles such as powderpuifs, money and other valuables. Garments which have been used have not been satisfactory for various reasons including deficiencies in appearance, comfort, convenience, utility, strength, and durability.

It is an object of the invention to provide a brassiere with a concealed generally rectangular pocket which will he received in the depression between the breasts, and provide a reinforcement for the center of the brassiere, as well as a brassiere with a pocket which will add to the comfort of the wearer, which pocket will be readily accessible, will have a closure to prevent loss of articles, and in addition to utility will have strength and durability and impart such qualities to the garment.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in con- }unction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating one application of the invention;

FIG. 2, an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, a similar rear elevation; and

FIG. 4, an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

Briefly stated, the invention is a brassiere fabricated of multiple segments of material, stitched together to provide a contoured garment for disposition around the upper portion of the body for supporting and preserving the shape of the body and with straps extending over the shoulders, the brassiere having a substantially straight lower edge and an upper edge with spaced peaks for location one above each of the breasts and with a generally rectangular sheet attached along its bottom and sides on the inside to the central portion of the garment and provided with an interlacing fastener along the top so that the pocket thus formed can be closed for retaining articles therein.

With continued reference to the drawing, the brassiere of the present invention includes portions 10 and 11 at the right and left of the center line 12 and each forming half of the brassiere, the portion 10 being designed to support the right breast while the portion 11 supports the left breast.

Referring to the left portion 11, it comprises a center strip 13 joined at its marginal edge along the center line 12 of the brassiere where it connects with the right hand portion of the brassiere, and such center strip 13 extends from the lower edge of the garment to where it is attached to a generally reversely curved arch-forming strip 14 to which it is stitched or otherwise fastened.

In order to provide fullness between the strips 13 and 14 a pair of generally wedge-shaped members 15 and 16 are provided having outer edges secured by stitching 3,078,852 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 17 and 18 with the strips 13 and 14 respectively. The wedge-shaped portions 15 and 16 are fastened together by stitching 19 which extends to the lower edge of the garment. In order to fill the space above the members 15 and 16 and to enhance the appearance, a lacy fabric insert 20 may be provided secured along its marginal edges by stitching 21, 2.2, 23 and 24 to the wedge-shaped member 15, the center strip 13, the archforming strip 14 and the wedge-shaped member 16. The lacy fabric insert 20 and the wedge members to which it is stitched are of suflicient fullness to accommodate the breasts of the wearer including the tip of the same and provide a comfortable support therefor.

Beyond the arch-forming strip 14 is an extension piece 25 fastened by stitching 26 or otherwise attached to the arch-forming strip at its wider end, and at the lower portion of its narrow end the extension piece has an elastic strap 27 with a series of eyes or detachable fasteners 28 for engagement with complementary fasteners 29 on the right section of the device.

If desired, a reinforcing strip 30 may be centrally applied along the lower portion of the device and may have one end connected at the center 12 with its upper edge tapering to a peak 31. The upper edge of the reinforcing member may be secured by stitching 32 to the members 13, 15, 16 and 14 and it may be secured by stitching 33 along the lower edge of such members.

A shoulder strap 34- may be provided having one end secured by stitching or the like 35 to the upper end of the arch strip 14 and its lower end secured by stitching 36 (FIG. 3) near the outer edge of the extension member 25.

On the interior of the brassiere a substantially rectangular sheet 37 is provided preferably with its upper edge slightly longer and with its side edges secured by stitching 38 and 39 to the wedge-shaped member 15 and its counterpart and with its lower edge secured by stitching 40 along the lower edge of the brassiere. The stitching 38 and 39 being slightly angular is substantially parallel to the stitching by which the members 13 and 15 and their counterparts are joined along the central seam and the edges of the member 13 and its counterpart and along the joint or seam 19 and thus a pocket is provided in which the edges are attached to the garment in a manner to provide reinforcement at the sides and along the bottom.

Across the top of the pocket is provided a fastener 41 which may be of the interlacing type so that the pocket may be readily closed. The fastener serves as a reinforcement across the several tapes as well as a reinforcement for the top of the pocket. If desired, part or all of the stitching may be covered with a tape 41.

it will be apparent from the foregoing that a brassiere is provided having a pocket which provides a depository for valuables and likewise adds strength, fits within a depression and otherwise serves a useful purpose.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claim.

What is claimed is:

A brassiere of multiple segments of sheet material fastened together along generally upright lines providing a garment with a substantially straight lower edge and an upper edge with peaks spaced corresponding to the spacing of the breasts of the wearer and with a fullness below such peaks, said segments including a pair of right and left center strips having their lower side edges joined along the center line of the brassiere, a reversely curved arch-forming strip connected to each of said center strips, a pair of substantially wedge-shaped members having opposite edges attached to said center and arch-forming strips beneath said peaks at each side of the brassiere providing fullness to the breast receiving portions thereof, a fabric insert secured along its marginal edges to said wedge-shaped members and to said center and arch-forming strips to provide additional fullness at each side of the brassiere, a generally rectangular pocket-forming sheet mounted on the inner surface of said multiple segments and concealed to view from the front thereof, with a lower edge along the lower edge 5 portion of the brassiere between the spaced peaks thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Schlussel Sept. 16, 1952 Lee Jan. 13, 1953 

